Sightmark Wraith HD

Any of you dealers got your hands on one yet for a quick test run? Sightmark got them in early this week per my rep buddy.

I did briefly. We'll do a hunt and such once they come in hand. We've ordered like 50 of them or so, give or take. I think they're going to be home run.

They should be shipping them later this week if all goes well. They've been in Sightmark's facility for about 3 weeks but they've been recoil testing them, checking battery life and updating the firmware etc. They actually quality control checked every single unit. My hat is off to Sightmark for taking the time to be sure they do this roll out right and not just blasting them out to dealers without any quality checks on their end. I'm very impressed with the due diligence they've taken on this project.

All of my units are pre-sold and the ETA for the 2nd round of shipping is a very long wait unless something changes.

Got notice on first units shipped today

Any idea on the price

Nobody is going to tell you in an electronic format a price below the contractual MAP (minimum advertised price). You won't get a best price quote posted on the forum, in other words. Based on online vendors, that would appear to be about $500. Whether or not you pay that will likely depend on you speaking verbally with vendors to see who will give you the best price.

What’s the difference between the photon rt and the wraith?

$499.97 is what they'll run. We have a pre-order program going with a small refundable deposit and then balance only when ready to roll.

I doubt you'll find anyone discounting these. The pre-orders are stacked up and folks out the door ready to buy without any fuss.

Two different scopes overall. Both do basically the same thing but the wraith has a different housing, different mount format and a color day mode on the wraith. Lower cost on the wraith. Biggest points so far anyway.

I can't imagine anyone dumb enough to discount a Wraith right now....I've had customers offer to pay over $499 if they can get moved to the front of the line. And yes I declined and they held their current spot.lol

Myron is right about the Photon RT vs the Wraith. I hate speculating on things we haven't used in the field but I'm 99% sure the RT is going to have a much better IR illuminator built in than what will ship with the Wraith. The real question is, how will the Wraith compare to the Photon RT when it has a really good aftermarket IR illuminator on the side of it? I've said many times, the two things that I'm slightly concerned about with the Wraith are the brightness of the included IR illuminator and the refresh rate might be low and cause "smearing" or lag when you move it around, which is usually most noticeable at night. Again pure speculation from what I saw at SHOT and I've been shown since then but until we get them in our own hands, we just don't know.

Either way, if you're looking for a very affordable NV optic with daytime capabilities from a reputable brand, this is going to be it in my opinion.

Jason

Ok I've been using the Wraith HD for 2 nights and I'm here to tell you something....I'm surprised. It's actually better than I thought it would be. This isn't a full review but I'll throw out my initial thoughts.

I had 2 main concerns, I suspected a weak IR illuminator and possible lagging or smearing video. The illuminator concern is a non issue. I have a wood line on the edge of a creek in my pasture and it's 450 yards. I can easily make out that wood line. I videoed a coon at 300 yards and could tell it was a coon. I videoed hogs tonight at 250 yards and they looked great. I just stopped while typing this and went and looked again and I've got cows in my pasture laying down at about 325 yards and I can clearly see they are cows. And these distances aren't wild guesses, I know where all these distances are because I've ranged them and I even have a steel target down there at exactly 250 yards. My point is, the IR illuminator is great, at this point I see no need for an aftermarket illuminator.

As for the lagging video, it's strange because I notice more in the full color daylight mode. At night, it seems just fine. During the day, sometimes it seems really good and other times the lagging and smearing seems much more noticeable but over all, it's much less of an issue than I expected it to be. I'd actually call it a non-issue for what most people are going to be using it for. The daytime and night time image quality is really good.

There are a few things I think I'd like to see changed or improved but I haven't used it enough to make any hard criticisms yet. My initial thoughts? It's great, better than expected and if the reliability is what I hope it is, it's going to be an X-Sight killer and maybe even a Photon killer.

Stay tuned for more thoughts and reviews.

Jason

I’m in , just ordered one this morning and it should be here Thursday in the brown truck!

I hope to exercise it this weekend and report back on my thoughts.

I’m a bit bummed that they capped recoil at 308 and that it weighs so much ....

Price is right though !

After using it what are your thoughts now of wraith vs rt

I have been eyeing the RT and will be pulling the trigger on one soon. But maybe not depending on what you guys think of teh wraith

This is preliminary but after a few hours behind the Wraith and many, many hours behind the Photons.....I really think the Wraith is going to be a better unit. I didn't think it was possible and I was specifically told by Sightmark that they expected the Wraith to be good at night but not as good as the Photon RT. Honestly, I've used them 3 nights in a row, side by side, both right out of the box, no 3rd party IR's and the Wraith HD is whipping the Photon RT. I absolutely did not expect this. The Photon is still going to have it's place, we're just going to have to see what the benefits of it will be over the Wraith.

I'll go into more details soon when I'm very confident in my assessments. The one negative I can say about the Wraith HD is, if you want a light scope, this ain't it. If you strapped a brick to your AR, this is what it would be like. It weighs 2lbs 15oz with batteries, mount and IR. The Photon RT weighs 2lbs 4oz with batteries and rings. The Photon feels much lighter because of the length and it's not so compact.

Jason

Since you have the Wraith HD, any word on the QD mount you are offering and if it will be a return to zero mount?

thanks for your input!

Not yet but I'll report back soon. I can see absolutely no reason it won't return to zero because it's seems to be of good quality and 2 locking QD levers will really hold the mount in place. It's as good as several of the mounts we use on thermals. I've got commitments the next several evenings but I'm going to do some testing with it and I'll let you know.

Jason

Wraith is in hand

Seems like the near eye display (screen in eyepiece) is smaller than previous digitals and thermal scopes from Sightmark and Pulsar.

I connected the scope to a 2200 mAh battery and it powered on, I’ll report back how long it keeps the scope running...

Range trip on Sunday

How is the audio on the Wraith? I see a lot of videos on YT, but none have sound. I looked at the manual and no mention of a microphone or audio in general.

I saw it posted that the Wraith has no audio.

Yeah, after watching a bunch of videos, I see that Sightmark is stuck in 1891 (first silent movies).

True. I guess they are stuck there with the new FLIR thermals. But if we follow that logic then Trijicon and N-Vision are stuck in 1816 (first partially successful photograph) because they don't even record video but they do record still images. Just joking. But seriously, it's the first generation of a $499 digital optic that is already running circles around the X-Sights and it does more than the Photons can do and they've been around for 6 years. If that's the biggest complaint to date about the Wraiths, I'd call that one of the most successful product launches I've ever heard of.

I am going to be interested to hear how these units do over time and see if there are any problems that crop up. I'm sure there will be some things go wrong, just like any other optic, but hopefully Sightmark will continue on with their excellent customer service.

Yeah, it just seems silly to have video, but no audio, to not even have the capability to audio. However, I am fairly certain that isn't my biggest complaint about the Wraith. The jittery video (output and seen through the scope) is pretty huge factor.

I know you didn't like the weight of the scope and it is hefty, but it is the most solid feeling night vision scope if have held years, LOL.

I'm assuming nobody has one of these in stock?

I bought one last Tuesday and it was delivered Friday

They said they had two more in stock, PM me for their info - local guys in Tyler TX

Update: They’re sold out

I seriously doubt it. If they do, it's only because they are on vacation and haven't answered their phone for the last 12 weeks.lol There are more people looking for Wraiths in the last 3 months than have ever looked for Black Beards gold. It was a total sell out for Sightmark and their next shipment is scheduled for July. I'm hoping they get that date moved up, but it's not looking like it will happen.




I don't disagree that it seems silly but I suspect it was cut out in an attempt to keep the price at $499. The jittery video was a huge concern of mine before it was released and I mentioned it multiple times here, on The Late Night Vision Show, to customers on the phone etc. I was really scared of it was going to be like the original X-Sights but I've got to tell you, in my opinion, it's a non issue. I just got in from killing 2 hogs with it and I haven't noticed the jittery/lagging video at all. I've been videoing a ton of hogs in both day and night over the last week and using it live, it seems great to me. I need to watch my videos back and see how they look but honestly, I just haven't seen any problems with that. I've been using it side by side with the Photon RT 4.5x42S and it blows it out of the water on several different fronts, again, something else I didn't expect.

Yes I still think it feels like a brick.LOL I think part of it is the fact that it is so compact and the weight isn't spread out over 13" like it is on the Photon RT. I think Sightmark has a winner with this scope for $499.

- Jason

LOL, I don't know how you could not notice the jitteriness. I have used it and seen it myself and it is on every Youtube video. For example...

I see it a little in the videos but man I just don't notice it when using it. I just watched back a couple short clips I had on my computer and I do see the jittering more in the video than I did live but it seems worse during the day videos than the night videos. I'll try to get one posted up here.

I've been using it side by side the Photon and I just don't notice a big difference. Again, I'm not say it doesn't exist but if it does, it's minor enough I'd call it a non-issue. Maybe I was just expecting it to be worse? I just talked to a customer 5 minutes ago who was out hunting with his last night and I asked him about it and he said the same thing, he notices it the video playback but not while he's using it. Maybe some people are just more sensitive to it?

It didn't bother me last night.....

From watching some of the videos, it would seem that 'in the moment' it wouldn't be that noticeable or problematic. However, I wouldn't want to use it very much to scan.

Here is a short clip from 2 nights ago. I have plans for these videos so I don't want to release much of it now but I think this looks pretty darn good. There is a slight blurring of the tree as I move left to right but as I said above, when actually looking through the scope, I think it looks really good. Everyone has to make their own decisions and everyone has their own opinions and that's great. I feel very comfortable saying that the jittery/smearing video for me it's a non-issue when using the scope live.

- Jason

What distance and power was that shot on OL?

That forked pine tree is 54 yards and the hardwood tree past it that you only see for a second is 75 yards. So the hogs were at about 60ish yards.

Thanks OL!

Nice vid, thanks for posting. Will be on my Christmas list this year.

Here is our full review of the Wraith on The Late Night Vision Show this week.

That's pretty solid picture quality. Was debating on another thermal for closer activity, but might have to take a look at the Wraith.

I just pre-ordered one from you Jason.

Thank you very much! We will add you to the pre-order list. I appreciate the business.

Update: For those who haven't heard, the next shipment of Wraiths will be coming in July. Between now and then, none will be available. Sightmark has once again pre-sold all of this incoming shipment to dealers and no more orders are being taken by Sightmark for this batch as of last Wednesday. If you know you want one, I'd advise finding a reputable, high volume, mom and pop dealer (ie: not Optics Planet/Amazon) and getting a pre-order in with them. I would be sure to confirm that your pre-order place in line is within the expected number of Wraiths they plan to receive. And FYI, if they ordered 10, they will likely get 5. If they order 50, they might get 25-30. Then again, they might get 100% of what they ordered. Or, like some dealers got on the last round....0. I'm going off the way Sightmark handled this on the first shipment and the way it's expected to be on the 2nd round. I really feel for Sightmark because I would not want to be in charge of allocating who gets and doesn't get these scopes.

As of today 4/9/19, I'm still barely within the numbers of how many I've been told I should expect to receive but the orders are coming in quickly and I expect to shut down "guaranteed" delivery on the 2nd round shipment this week. I still have a limited number (less than 150) of QD mounts available for immediate shipping.

After the July shipment, Sightmark should begin receiving smaller monthly shipments for the fall and hopefully the supply will be able to meet the demand at that point. No one, not even Sightmark, could have ever hoped or dreamed this scope would be this popular.

- Jason

So I'm on the guaranteed list for round 2?

Joe, yes sir you are!

- Jason

Yeah, that's always a concern. Having worked for a large manufacturing company the discussions about product allocation when times were good made for lively arguments all around. Major (really big!) customers like the automotive companies always got what they wanted as best could be managed. For everyone else it usually came down to an "Equiscrew" policy in which everyone got something and no one was happy. We all hated that part of the business but those decisions must be made. It usually wasn't real pleasant to be in the production side of the factory during those times, either. Hopefully Pulsar will get enough product out to keep their customers at least somewhat satisfied. It looks like they have a really good product on their hands!

Nice vid Pig Popper.

So does anyone know, has Sightmark worked out the loss of focus during recoil issue and the reticle shift (change of zero point) between magnification levels people are reporting on FB?

Yes Sightmark had a fix for the recoil focus issue the first week, they know exactly what the problem is and in most every case it's fix-able in house. I had a customer with the focus problem and and they fixed his scope and had it back to him within 5-7 business days.

There is a firmware update coming soon for the reticle shift. The odd thing about that problem is that it doesn't seem to be widespread and users are fixing it on their own by returning their zeroing coordinates to 0,0 and then moving them back to their proper zero coordinates. I had a customer with that issue and he sent me videos to show me and then fixed it via the method I mentioned above. Very weird. But Sightmark told me yesterday they have a fix coming for that issue.

- Jason

Actually, since it is a firmware issue, the reticle shift is on every unit despite the fact that not all users notice it. So all the units sold before the forthcoming update will have the bug.

That's correct but not every user is experiencing the problem. Even though the firmware is identical, very few people are reporting the problem. This most likely means there are some conditions that must be met or a series of steps that must be taken for the bug to be displayed. It's also very strange that the problem can be solved (at least temporarily) by walking a few steps backwards and then forward again. Odd to say the least but at least Sightmark knows about it and seems to have a fix on the way for it.

Nice shooting! I'd say that round did a number on him.

Indeed, nice shot. I see where it went out of focus during recoil. No doubt exceeding the recoil maximum didn't help with that at all.

Indeed the focus shifted, shooting high recoil rifles is certainly a mixed bag in terms of product performance. Careful selection of rugged gear is imperative - I’ve tried scopes from other manufacturers in the past and sometime exceeding 308 Winchester is dicey. All the I^2 devices (traditional green tube NV) are a no go.

I find the Pulsar and in this case the Sightmark Wraith are able to take the punishment better than other techs and makes but it’s certainly borderline above .45” calibers (rifles).

Not that any of this is mainstream , I believe high caliber NV is a niche that few spend time or money exploring, For example, for the price of the rifle and scope setup I believe most people would rather put the majority of the cost into an entry level thermal scope on a more mainstream caliber (223, 6.8, 6.5).

Most of what I try isn’t ordinary but it’s fun to me to learn and share - I wouldn’t hesitate recommending the Wraith for above 308 Winchester.

I am letting Sightmark know my experiences offline so that perhaps future products can be designed for larger caliber “niche” applications.